Gospel For Asia has expressed its sorrow over the murder of one of its missionaries in India last month.
Ajit Bansi was constructing a new church in Assam when he was killed by an extremist anti-Christian group on May 20. He had gone to a nearby town to purchase materials for the final phase of construction but never returned.
GFA said he was ambushed together with three other people and that all four were shot dead by the extremist group.
His murder came just days before the church building for his growing congregation was due to be completed.
Gospel For Asia praised Pastor Ajit for risking everything to share the hope of Christ and serving his church of around 60 believers in spite of the risks to his life.
"Pastor Ajit was one of hundreds of missionaries risking their lives to share Jesus' love in this area," said GFA President K P Yohannan.
"He was doing a great work, and his life brought hope to many people. It is extremely sad that this pastor never saw his dream fulfilled.
"Pastor Ajit left behind his wife and two small children. His church lost its pastor. They all need prayer in this very difficult time, as do the other missionaries in this area."
GFA leaders are caring for Ajit's bereaved family. They request prayer that the Lord will comfort them and provide for their needs.
There were protests by Hindu groups on Tuesday as an EU delegation arrived in India’s Orissa state to visit areas where dozens of Christians were killed in 2008.
Five members of the radical Hindu Banjrang Dal group were arrested during protests at the airport of state capital Bhubaneshwar as the 11-member delegation touched down, according to the Indo-Asian News Service.
The delegation, led by deputy chief of mission in the Spanish embassy Ramon Moreno, will meet victims of the attacks and government officials to discuss efforts to restore security in the area and resettle the thousands who lost their homes in the violence.
The attacks on Christians, predominantly in Kandhamal district, were triggered by the murder of radical Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in August 2008. Even though Maoists claimed responsibility for the murder, local radical Hindus went on the rampage against Christians, setting their homes and other buildings on fire. Some 40 Christians were killed in the attacks and another 25,000 were displaced.
The visit by the EU delegation had faced strong opposition from the rightwing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), which warned it could reignite tensions.
“It is the responsibility of our government to deal with the problem," said VHP general secretary Gouri Prasad Brahma. "There is no business for outsiders in the internal matter of the state."
The EU delegation was originally due to begin its visit last week, but canceled it when the Orissa state government denied the group permission to carry out a fact-finding mission. The visit was rescheduled to this week after the state government reversed its decision.
The delegation is being hosted by the Catholic Church in Orissa. Spokesman Fr. Babu Joseph said their visit reflected the concern of European countries over violations of human rights and religious freedom in India.
“It is not so much an issue concerning only Christians. The EU sees it as a global human issue," he said.
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